Australian Energy Market Operator

AEMO operates Australia's National Electricity Market (NEM), the interconnected power system in Australia’s eastern and south-eastern seaboard, and the Wholesale Electricity Market (WEM) and power system in Western Australia.

AEMO operates gas retail markets in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia. AEMO also operates wholesale gas markets in south-eastern Australia, those being the Declared Wholesale Gas Market in Victoria (DWGM), the Short Term Trading Market in Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney (STTM), and the Gas Supply Hub (GSH), whose trading locations are based at Wallumbilla in Queensland, and Moomba in South Australia. AEMO also operates the Natural Gas Services Bulletin Board (GBB), and is system operator of the Victorian Gas Declared Transmission System. AEMO is also responsible for Gas Services Information functions in Western Australia.

Power system operation

Security of supply is a measure of the power system's capacity to continue operating within defined technical limits, even in the event of the disconnection of a major power system element such as an interconnector or large generator.

Reliability is a measure of the power system's capacity to continue to supply sufficient power to satisfy customer demand, allowing for the loss of generation capacity.

AEMO's system operating procedures are developed primarily for AEMO to provide information related to the management of the National Electricity Market (NEM) and security of the power system.

Guidelines for preparing Local Black System Procedures

Clause 4.8.12 (e) of the National Electricity Rules requires AEMO to develop and publish guidelines for preparation of local black system procedures in consultation with Generators and network service providers.

NEM System Restart Information Sessions

Click here for further information about System Restart Information Sessions.

Scope of Delegations to TNSPs

AEMO has the power to delegate to TNSPs some of the AEMO power system security responsibilities under clause 4.3.3 of the National electricity Rules. The linked page below has details of the delegations made to a number of TNSPs in the NEM.

Reserve Level Declaration Guidelines

An LOR declaration alerts Registered Participants to a probability of capacity reserves being insufficient to avoid load shedding (other than interruptible load) given reasonably foreseeable conditions and events.

These are the reserve level declaration guidelines made under clause 4.8.4A of the National Electricity Rules (Guidelines).

These Guidelines describe the considerations and methodology AEMO applies in deciding to declare an LOR condition, and the levels of LOR conditions that may be declared.

An overview of this new method for determining LOR levels is also included below.